Syria’s Assad offers stimulus to public workers as crisis deepens
Al Jazeera
The aid to public sector workers, soldiers and pensioners comes as Syria’s currency crashes and the cost of fuel soars.
Amid sharp economic decline, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Tuesday granting hundreds of thousands of public sector workers and soldiers a one-time financial stimulus, equivalent to an average monthly salary. The stimulus — the third since October — comes as the national currency is crashing, now at more than 4,000 Syrian pounds to the United States dollar on the black market, compared to 700 a year ago. The official rate is fixed at 1,256 Syrian pounds for $1. The decision comes a day after the government raised the price of fuel, including subsidised fuel, by more than 50 percent in the third increase this year. It also raised the price of cooking gas.More Related News